Individual sprinkle-packet with ribbed break-open neck

ABSTRACT

An individual sprinkle-packet for salt, pepper, sugar and the like is in the class comprising a pocketed plastic sealed along its edges to a paper backing, which can be bent back along a given line to rupture the plastic and provide one or more sprinkling openings. This invention, in preferred form, provides a pocket tapering and reducing to a narrow neck. Along the longitudinal center line of the neck, the plastic is depressed to form an inward rib which stiffens the neck, and supports its humped portions to ensure rupturing. The rib portion extends slightly into the pocket body, so that breakage adjacent to the pocket forms two small sprinkling apertures.

11] 3,741,384 451 June 26, 1973 1 INDIVIDUAL SPRINKLE-PACKET WITH RIBBEDBREAK-OPEN NECK [75] Inventor: Charles E. Cloud, Wilmette, Ill.

[73] Assignee: Cloud Machine Corporation, Skokie,

Ill.

22 Filed: new, 1971 [21] Appl.No.: 204,436

[52] US. Cl 206/56 AA, 222/107 [51] Int. Cl B65d 83/00 [58] Field ofSearch 222/107, 541;

206/56 AA, 78 B 1,438,487 2/1921 Greene 206/56 AA 2,895,606 7/1959 Hoag206/56 AA 2,517,027 8/1950 Rado 206/56 AA 2,499,313 2/1950 Hoag 222/54 XPrimary Examiner-Robert B. Reeves Assistant Examiner-Larry MartinAttorney-Howard H. Darbo, Edward C. Vandenburgh et a1.

57 ABSTRACT An individual sprinkle-packet for salt, pepper, sugar andthe like is in the class comprising a pocketed plastic sealed along itsedges to a paper backing, which can be bent back along a given line torupture the plastic and provide one or more sprinkling openings. Thisinvention, in preferred form, provides a pocket tapering and reducing toa narrow neck. Along the longitudinal center line of the neck, theplastic is depressed to form an inward rib which stiffens the neck, andsupports its humped portions to ensure rupturing. The rib portionextends slightly into the pocket body, so that breakage adjacent to thepocket forms two small sprinkling apertures.

3 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures INDIVIDUAL SPRINKLE-PACKET WITII RIBBEDBREAK-OPEN NECK The invention of which the present disclosure is offeredfor public dissemination in the event that adequate patent protection isavailable relates to individual sprinkle-packets such as are widely usedfor salt and pepper and sometimes for sugar. A common form of suchpacket includes a pocketed plastic film sealed along its periphery to apaper backing, with the plastic shaped to provide a break-openformation. By bending back a portion of the packet away from the plasticface, the break-open formation is supposed to rupture and provide one ormore sprinkling openings, so that the user can sprinkle the contents asfrom a salt shaker, and can gauge the quantity poured out.

One problem with such packets has been to provide thoroughly dependablerupturing of the break-open formation. Packets which best achieved thisresult have had other faults. Anything in the nature of notching theformation to ensure its breaking open by weakening it was likely toresult in an aperture or a slit which was regarded by some as anundesirably imperfect seal of the contents. At least one design whichhad achieved acceptable dependability in the break-open characteristicwas somewhat objectionable due to occasional spillage of some of thecontents prematurely. This could result when some of the contents wereabove the break-open formation at the time it broke open.

According to the present invention, maximum breakopen dependability isprovided with minimum likelihood of spillage. The break-open formationcomprises a narrow neck, narrower than the narrow end of the pocket fromwhich it extends, with a longitudinal depression forming an internalrib. The neck is of uniform cross section. The result is that if theneck has been filled by the position of the packet when picked up, itimmediately clears when the neck is turned uppermost. There is nohourglass effect to delay the clearing of the neck. The rib stiffens theneck so that when pressure is applied to the tip'of the neck or thepacket beyond it, the neck acts as a rigid lever to enforce bending ofthe packet at the base of the neck, which is adjacent the end of thepocket. By extending the rib slightly into the pocket, breakage occursthrough the rib so that the two humps separated by the rib form twoapertures for better sprinkling or controlled pouring than sometimes isachieved by a single aperture.

DESIGNATION OF FIGURES FIG. I is a greatly enlarged face view of oneform of packet embodying the invention.

FIG. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken approximately along the line2-2 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a longitudinal cross section taken approximately along theline 33 of FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a view corresponding to FIG. 3 but showing the packet openedby bending its neck backwards.

BACKGROUND DESCRIPTION Packets similar to the packets of the presentinvention in many respects are old. Such packets have a flat backing llof paper, usually printed to show the nature of the contents of thepacket, and perhaps with a dotted line such as the line 12 and thelegend Bend here. To the front side of this backing is secured apocketed plastic layer 13. A large part of the area of this plasticmember is occupied by a pocket 14. Conventionally, a sheet of theplastic film is fed in contact with a drum having many pockets formedtherein, heated, and drawn into the pockets by a suction appliedinternally of the drum. Then the pockets thus formed in the plastic filmare filled, any excess of the fill lying on the edges removed, and thepaper applied throughout the area of the film, and sealed to the filmaround each pocket. Thereafter the combined web thus formed is severedto cut out the individual filled packets. These packets have heretoforebeen designed so that upon bending one portion of the packet backwardly,the plastic film would be ruptured and its contents could be poured out.

RUPTURING FEATURES OF PRESENT INVENTION According to the presentinvention thorough reliability in rupturing, with minimum danger ofspillage, is achieved by providing an elongate neck 16 of a crosssection which is uniform or at least does not enlarge upwardly, and witha longitudinal groove 17 which forms an internal rib, as seen best inFIG. 2. Thus the grooverib l7 separates the neck 16 into twolongitudinal ribs or bulges 18 which internally communicate with thepocket 14. The two bulges 18 are seen best in FIGS. 1 and 2, and theirdepth and communication with pocket 14 are seen best in FIG. 3. Theirdepth, the dimension perpendicular to the backing 11, is considerablyless than the depth of pocket 13.

Preferably the groove-rib 17 extends well into pocket 14, providing arecess 21 within the boundaries of the pocket. The tip 22 of this recessrests on backing 11 or extends quite close to it, considerably closerthan does the rest of groove-ribl7.

When the user wishes to break thepacket open, he holds the neck.16uppermost as seen in FIG. 1 and bends substantially the entire neckbackwards, with the results seen in FIG. 4. The combination of the twobulges 18 and the groove-rib 17 between them gives the neck greatstiffness.

One result of the stiffness of the neck is that, in bending itbackwards, it tends to concentrate the bending and rupturing action atits base. The vertical extent of the walls of recess 21, and coactionwith noses 23 provides a relatively stiff structure. This alone, or itsability to rest on backing 11, tends to prevent the collapse of thestructure in this region. Since the paper backing, reinforced by theplastic, does not have appreciable longitudinal compressability, andsince the plastic at normal temperatures does not have muchstretchability, the plastic invariably ruptures at or very close to thejunction of neck 16 with the pocket 14. Whether this results entirelyfrom the concentration of forces or partly because of weakening of thefilm at or adjacent the juncture at it stretches around a corner of theforming die is'immaterial.

Because the groove-rib 17 extends somewhat into the pocket 14, itprevents collapse of that portion of the pocket as the neck is bent, andsince breakage occurs near the junction of the neck 16 with the pocket,two pour openings 26 (not necessarily entirely separate) inevitablyresult. This is advantageous because it is eas ier to achieve uniformityof pouring action with two small openings than with one intended to be alittle larger. Also some people like multiple openings for betterdistribution of the sprinkling action. Others like the sprinkling actionto be more narrowly confined than with two or several openings spanninga considerable extent, although not objecting to two openings whenclosely spaced. Here the openings preferably are mainly withinone-eighth inch.

Because the neck 16 is of uniform cross section, there isno hourglasseffect to delay the emptying of the neck when the packet is tilted neckuppermost. Some prior packets have provided a very short neck with anappreciable pocket space beyond the neck from the main pocket, but thisis somewhat objectionable in that if the pocket above the neck happensto have been filled when the pocket was picked up, its drainage throughthe relatively narrow neck takes appreciable time. Although thishourglass effect is only a few seconds, it may cause a customerwho isunobserving or hurried to break open the packet prematurely and some ofthis hourglass flow of the contents results in spillage. b

Although the particular vial-shape illustrated is not a part of thepresent invention, some form of funnel shape of the pocket toward theneck 16 is desirable so that it will be easy to pour out the entirecontents of the packet. Although not many users empty the packets, ifthe contents are salt or pepper, it is desirable for them to be able todo so easily if they choose to.

The present packets can be reasonably well filled, for example to thebroken line 31, while still having minimum danger of accidental spillagein breaking the packet open. Good filling represents economy inpackaging; the use of only so much material as is necessary forpackaging the quantity of fill'desired.

ACHIEVEMENT From the foregoing it is seen that a packet is providedwhich has thoroughly dependable break-open characteristics with aminimum danger of spillage, and with great economy of manufacture. Itlends itself to attractive designing, one such design being shown. Usinga transparent plastic (oriented polystyrene is one that works well), thevisibility of the packaged product adds to the attractiveness.

INTENT CLAUSE Although the preceding disclosure offered for publicdissemination is detailed to ensure adequacy and aid understanding, thisis not intended to prejudice that purpose of a patent which is to covereach new inventive concept therein no matter how others may laterdisguise it by variations in form or additions or further improvements.The claims at the end hereof are intended as the chief aid toward thispurpose, as it is these that meet the requirement of pointing out theparts, improvements, or combinations in which the inventive concepts arefound. Reference in the claims to two small openings does not excludemore than two, nor a single opening nearly divided to, in effect, formtwo.

I claim:

1. A sealed dispensing packet of bend-to-rupture type comprising apocketed face sheet sealed peripherally to a backing sheet, thepocketedface sheet having a narrow imperforate neck narrower than thepocket extending from the pocket, the neck having a longitudinalgroove-rib separating it'into longitudinally extend ing portionscommunicating with the pocket and of substantially non-increasing crosssection with increas- 7 ing distance from the pocket; said neck with itsgrooverib being stiff whereby, when the neck is bent backwardly, rupturesubstantially at the junction of the neck and pocket is ensured.

2. A sealed dispensing packet of bend-to-rupture type comprising apocketed face sheet sealed peripherally to a backing sheet, the pocketedface sheet having a narrow imperforate neck narrower than the'pocketextending from the pocket, the neck having a longitudinal groove-ribseparating it into longitudinally extending portions communicating withthe pocket and of substantially non-increasing cross section withincreasing distance from the pocket; said neck with its grooverib beingstiff and of substantially less depth than the pocket and the groove-ribextending into the pocket beyond its junction with the neck, whereby,when the neck is bent backwardly, rupture substantially at the junctionof the neck and the pocket is ensured, with the formation of pluralsmall pour openings.

3. A sealed dispensing packet of bend-to-rupture type comprising apocketed face sheet of plastic sealed than the pocket andthe groove-ribextending into the pocket beyond its junction with the neck, and thegroove-rib, in'the vicinity of the juncture of. the neck and the pocket,extending close to the backing to prevent collapse of the plastic duringbending, whereby, when the neck is bent backwardly, rupturesubstantially at the junction of the neck and pocket is ensured. l i

1. A sealed dispensing packet of bend-to-rupture type comprising apocketed face sheet sealed peripherally to a backing sheet, the pocketedface sheet having a narrow imperforate neck narrower than the pocketextending from the pocket, the neck having a longitudinal groove-ribseparating it into longitudinally extending portions communicating withthe pocket and of substantially non-increasing cross section withincreasing distance from the pocket; said neck with its groove-rib beingstiff whereby, when the neck is bent backwardly, rupture substantiallyat the junction of the neck and pocket is ensured.
 2. A sealeddispensing packet of bend-to-rupture type comprising a pocketed facesheet sealed peripherally to a backing sheet, the pocketed face sheethaving a narrow imperforate neck narrower than the pocket extending fromthe pocket, the neck having a longitudinal groove-rib separating it intolongitudinally extending portions communicating with the pocket and ofsubstantially non-increasing cross section with increasing distance fromthe pocket; said neck with its groove-rib being stiff and ofsubstantially less depth than the pocket and the groove-rib extendinginto the pocket beyond its junction with the neck, whereby, when theneck is bent backwardly, rupture substantially at the junction of theneck and the pockeT is ensured, with the formation of plural small pouropenings.
 3. A sealed dispensing packet of bend-to-rupture typecomprising a pocketed face sheet of plastic sealed peripherally to abacking sheet, the pocketed face sheet having a narrow imperforate necknarrower than the pocket extending from the pocket, the neck having alongitudinal groove-rib separating it into longitudinally extendingportions communicating with the pocket and of substantiallynon-increasing cross section with increasing distance from the pocket;said neck with its groove-rib being stiff and of substantially lessdepth than the pocket and the groove-rib extending into the pocketbeyond its junction with the neck, and the groove-rib, in the vicinityof the juncture of the neck and the pocket, extending close to thebacking to prevent collapse of the plastic during bending, whereby, whenthe neck is bent backwardly, rupture substantially at the junction ofthe neck and pocket is ensured.